Democracy Now! Blog

Some have called Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson the "Paul Revere of Occupy Wall Street" after he tweeted them a warning on the night of November 2011 police raid of Zuccotti Park. In this Democracy Now! web exclusive, Questlove tells us the story. [includes rush transcript]

Here are some web-only highlights of our interview with hip-hop artist Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drummer and co-founder of The Roots, the legendary hip-hop group and house band on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

In this Democracy Now! web exclusive, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the drummer for the legendary hip-hop group The Roots, discusses the writing of his new memoir, "Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove." The book’s title is a riff on the 1990 Spike Lee film about jazz musicians, "Mo’ Better Blues." [includes rush transcript]

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the drummer for the legendary hip-hop group The Roots, talks about the Cosby Show episode that left an indelible impression on him when he saw it at a young age: a guest appearance by Stevie Wonder, showcasing the art of sampling. [includes rush transcript]

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the drummer for the legendary hip-hop group The Roots, has been harassed by law enforcement on multiple occasions since a young age. In this Democracy Now! web exclusive, Questlove describes what’s likely his oddest experience: the time DEA agents held him at a Buffalo airport, suspecting him of being a drug dealer. [includes rush transcript]

We continue our conversation with former NAACP chair Julian Bond and Rustin’s partner, Walter Naegle. Rustin played a central role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which the nation is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of in the coming weeks. [includes rush transcript]

Many cable companies refuse to list the titles of shows that air on public access television stations in their on-screen guides. Now media activists are pushing for the FCC to intervene. [includes rush transcript]

By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Sixty miles off the coast of Sweden, in the Baltic Sea, sits the island of Gotland. Every summer, for one week, tens of thousands flock here to participate in a unique public event known as Almedalen.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald responds to a report by Reuters about how a secretive U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration unit is covering up its use of intelligence intercepts and wiretaps to help launch criminal investigations of Americans.

U.S. Army whistleblower Bradley Manning was found guilty today of 20 charges in total, including espionage, but he was acquitted of aiding the enemy, the most serious charge. Michael Ratner, an attorney for WikiLeaks, appeared on the Democracy Now! special broadcast to respond to today’s verdict. [includes rush transcript]

Watch Democracy Now!'s interview with the director of the feature film, "Fruitvale Station," which opens in theaters nationwide this week. "I've seen these kind of things happen before, instances of police brutality and instances of urban violence, and people riot and rally," Ryan Coogler told Democracy Now! when we spoke to him at the Sundance Film Festival. "I felt that myself, as an artist and as a filmmaker, maybe I could do something that could help attack this issue at the root through my art."

More than 150 days in their hunger strike, at least 45 Guantánamo prisoners are being force-fed through tubes. "It’s regrettable that it’s taking them putting their lives at risk to get us to pay attention, that they’ve been cleared for transfer, yet they’re still in prison," says Col. Morris Davis, former chief prosecutor at Guantánamo. [includes rush transcript]

Reporter and blogger Kevin Gosztola has been one of only a handful of journalists covering the Bradley Manning trial on a daily basis. He describes the first few weeks of the historic trial. We also speak to Col. Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at Guantánamo, who testified for the Manning defense. [includes rush transcript]

Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports from Cairo six days after the Egyptian army ousted President Mohamed Morsi. "I think the only way forward is for all sides to come to the table and for the Muslim Brotherhood to hopefully be invited in a real way to take part in this process, because if they’re excluded, I think we’ll see instability for a long time," Kouddous said. [includes rush transcript]

DN! In Depth

By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan — The corporate television newscasts spend more and more time covering the increasingly disruptive, costly and at times deadly weather. But they consistently fail to make the link between extreme weather and climate change.